India will be under tremendous pressure when they face an equally circumspect Australia in a battle of two out-of-form batting units in the opening Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Perth
Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson says he is still not over Jos Buttler leaving the team and wishes the IPL would change its rule of releasing players every three years.
Root played just three matches for Rajasthan Royals in his IPL debut this year, and Rob Key, managing director of England's men's cricket, had said the 32-year-old "needs a break" after the 50-overs World Cup in India.
India's premier pace bowler and vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah was rested for the fourth Test match against England.
India's young guns are fearless and mentally hardened by the IPL exposure. But true mettle will be tested when adversity strikes -- and this time, there will be no Kohli to stir up the crowd, no Rohit to deliver a captaincy masterstroke, and no Ashwin to conjure wickets out of nowhere.
Former Australia captain Michael Clarke believes India is in "safe hands" and has "enough talent" to trounce England, but it will all come down to how the young-looking squad will leave a mark in the series on a territory known for being "tough".
While the pace department needs some urgent solutions, the spin has a slightly different landscape.
Beginning with the Eden T20I, the two teams will fight it out in a full white ball series, comprising five T20Is and three ODIs, which will serve as a crucial warm-up for the Champions Trophy, slated to begin on February 19 in Pakistan and Dubai.
Rajasthan Royals' coach Kumar Sangakkara backs the Assamese all-rounder to repay the team's faith in him.
India will ponder whether they want to include Washington Sundar, who is quite handy with the bat or Kuldeep Yadav, who is a much better wicket-taking option.
High-flying Rajasthan Royals will look to continue their winning momentum and consolidate their position at the top when they take on a resurgent Lucknow Super Giants, who would be gunning for revenge at home in an IPL match in Lucknow on Saturday.
Rohit and the team management will also have to keep some of the young talents like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel wrapped in cotton wool after experiencing some early success in top-flight cricket.
How the India Test regulars and discards fared over the first two days in the opening round matches of Duleep Trophy.
The MP batter registered four single digit scores in the six innings he has played so far. The 30 year old registered scores of 32, 9, 5, 0, 17 and 0.
India's bid to win a 17th consecutive home Test series, however, hinges on the success of their three-pronged spin attack comprising Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel.
Delhi Capitals mentor Kevin Pietersen believes that KL Rahul is the best option to bat at number four and keep wickets for India in the next T20 World Cup.
Rohit's numbers with the willow has been a bit underwhelming during the five home Tests but those were played on difficult tracks.
Mumbai Indians have once again made a familiar disappointing start to their IPL campaign as they lost their first two matches.
'Virat and Rohit not playing (Duleep Trophy) was not good for Indian cricket, nor was it good for the two players. Had they played the Duleep Trophy and had some time in the red-ball cricket, things would have been different.'
Saha said a cricketer should treat every match with equal importance citing his own example.
'It's gruelling. Playing a five-match series is not easy. That's what Test cricket is all about.'
Needing 7 to win, Siraj is given the ball and who better than Mr Lion Heart to script India's narrowest win in Test cricket. It takes Siraj a stinging yorker to send Atkinson's stumps flying -- the ball hitting low on the off stump.
The BCCI secretary is the convenor of the senior selection committee (men) and with Shah busy with his political commitments, it is understood that the meeting will be held in Ahmedabad.
A state association official said Ranji Trophy runs the risk of 'a slow death if it was not made mandatory for top players to compete'.
India were handed a five-run penalty for a second offence of their batters running on the middle of the pitch during Day 2 of the the third Test.
Prasidh Krishna has emerged as a key weapon for Gujarat Titans -- especially in the middle overs, where his extra pace and bounce have rattled batters.
Sai Sudharsan's classy fifty combined with a collective bowling effort powered Gujarat Titans to a commanding 58-run win over Rajasthan Royals.
India fast bowler Mohammed Siraj was ruled out of the upcoming Duleep Trophy because of illness.
India may not be contemplating life after Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli just yet but the robust display of their fringe players against England will have eased any fears about how they will cope when the old guard steps aside.
Images from the IPL 2025 match between Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings at Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Sunday.
The likes of Yashaswi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Sarfaraz Khan, Nitish Reddy, Harshit Rana, Akash Deep and Prasidh Krishna are on their maiden Test tour of Australia.
Abhishek Sharma and Shahbaz Ahmed spun a web around Rajasthan Royals' batters to power Sunrisers Hyderabad to an emphatic 36-run victory.
India will need to be ruthless and tactful in equal measure while dealing with an unpredictable England when the third chapter of a riveting Test series begins in Rajkot on Thursday.
Images from the IPL match between Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals in Chennai on Sunday.
Premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah was on Friday named vice-captain of India for the upcoming three-match home Test series against New Zealand, strongly indicating his possible elevation to the leadership role when the team travels to Australia from next month.
Suryakumar Yadav will miss the first round match after suffering a a sprain to his right thumb.
'Hardik is also a part of leading group. When we sit, we decide what we want to do in the game going forward and also on the field. He is always around. It's like we have a lot of captains on the ground.'
IMAGES from the IPL match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals played in Hyderabad on Thursday
Ashwin feels the rule, introduced in the 2023 season which allows all IPL teams to substitute a player -- batter or bowler -- during their respective innings as per the demands of the match, makes the game fairer.
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